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Five Signs Your Young Athlete May Be Underfueling

Five Signs Your Young Athlete May Be Underfueling

by | Mar 3, 2023 | Sports Medicine

What is underfueling?

When athletes do not eat enough calories (or the right calories) to support their growth and development and all of the training. This may occur periodically due to fluctuations in seasons or training schedules, it is particularly concerning if it happens frequently.

How do I know if my athlete is underfueling?

Without complex calculations, parents can watch an athlete for signs and listen for complaints that indicate underfueling. Below is a short list to help.

  1. The athlete is no longer making improvements in skill and performance or has experienced a sudden decrease in performance.
  2. Injuries take a long time to heal or there are recurring injuries, like stress fractures.
  3. Weight loss that is not otherwise explained. It is important to consider that an athlete may not be losing weight but may still not be getting enough calories.
  4. Delayed growth and development. For a female athlete, an obvious sign is irregular or missed periods or a delay in starting her period.
  5. Frequent dizziness and headaches.
  6. Complaints of constant fatigue.

What should I do if I think my young athlete is underfueling?

  • Make sure he/she is getting three balanced meals a day. Busy teens tend to skip the breakfast meal.
  • Add one or two snacks a day. Often the most reliable snack to add is a bedtime snack. Elite young athletes, especially those struggling with underfueling, typically need at least 3 snacks a day.
  • Increase portions in current meals. Small increases throughout the day can make a difference.
  • Make nutrient-dense swaps in meals and snacks. This way your athlete doesn’t have to worry about adding more food or more eating instances in an already packed schedule.
  • Make drinks count. When athletes need extra calories, include beverages like milk, chocolate milk and calcium-fortified orange juice with meals. Offer sports drinks with practices.

Where can I turn for help if I am concerned?

If your child has lingering or recurrent injuries in sports, delay or changes in menstruation or other concerns that might be related to underfueling, our Sports Medicine team can help. After a medical evaluation with a sports medicine physician, additional services such as a consultation with a certified sports dietitian may be recommended. Call 469-515-7100 to request an appointment.  

Find more resources about sports nutrition for young athletes. 

Five Signs Your Young Athlete May Be Underfueling

Five Signs Your Young Athlete May Be Underfueling

by | Mar 3, 2023 | Sports Medicine

What is underfueling?
When athletes do not eat enough calories (or the right calories) to support their growth and development and all of the training. This may occur periodically due to fluctuations in seasons or training schedules, it is particularly concerning if it happens frequently.

How do I know if my athlete is underfueling?
Without complex calculations, parents can watch an athlete for signs and listen for complaints that indicate underfueling. Below is a short list to help.

  1. The athlete is no longer making improvements in skill and performance or has experienced a sudden decrease in performance.
  2. Injuries take a long time to heal or there are recurring injuries, like stress fractures.
  3. Weight loss that is not otherwise explained. It is important to consider that an athlete may not be losing weight but may still not be getting enough calories.
  4. Delayed growth and development. For a female athlete, an obvious sign is irregular or missed periods or a delay in starting her period.
  5. Frequent dizziness and headaches.
  6. Complaints of constant fatigue.

What should I do if I think my young athlete is underfueling?

  • Make sure he/she is getting three balanced meals a day. Busy teens tend to skip the breakfast meal.
  • Add one or two snacks a day. Often the most reliable snack to add is a bedtime snack. Elite young athletes, especially those struggling with underfueling, typically need at least 3 snacks a day.
  • Increase portions in current meals. Small increases throughout the day can make a difference.
  • Make nutrient-dense swaps in meals and snacks. This way your athlete doesn’t have to worry about adding more food or more eating instances in an already packed schedule.
  • Make drinks count. When athletes need extra calories, include beverages like milk, chocolate milk and calcium-fortified orange juice with meals. Offer sports drinks with practices.

Where can I turn for help if I am concerned?
If your child has lingering or recurrent injuries in sports, delay or changes in menstruation or other concerns that might be related to underfueling, our Sports Medicine team can help. After a medical evaluation with a sports medicine physician, additional services such as a consultation with a certified sports dietitian may be recommended. Call 469-515-7100 to request an appointment.  

Find more resources about sports nutrition for young athletes. 

Scottish Rite For Children Adds ACGME-Accredited Sports Medicine Fellowship Program

Scottish Rite For Children Adds ACGME-Accredited Sports Medicine Fellowship Program

by | Feb 14, 2023 | Sports Medicine

Scottish Rite for Children and UT Southwestern Medical Cente are beginning a new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME-accredited Sports Medicine fellowship program with a specialized pediatric focus. Led by program director Henry B. Ellis, Jr., M.D, and associate program director Philip L. Wilson, M.D, the program will take place primarily at the Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center in Frisco. The first in the North Texas region, this new program is one of a small number of subspecialty training programs that provides significant exposure to the care of young and growing athletes

The field of pediatric sports medicine includes operative and nonoperative management of sport-related injuries and consideration of how conditions and treatment affect long-term athletic development during continued physical and mental maturation. The program provides in-depth training for managing common and complex conditions, including ACL injuries, osteochondritis dissecans, patellar instability, meniscus, hip preservation, shoulder instability and more. In the United States, approximately 45 million children between the ages of 5 and 18 participate in organized sports according to a paper published in theInternational Journal of Sport Communication, which makes the need for specially trained pediatric sports medicine physicians and surgeons important for the well-being of today’s youth

Fellows are frontline members of the sports medicine care team at Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center in Frisco, Texas. In addition, they rotate with sports medicine surgeons at UT Southwestern and other adult colleagues for the full gamut of operative sports training. Additionally, the fellow assists in the management of pediatric fractures and acute orthopedic conditions at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, one of Texas’ only Level 1 pediatric trauma centers

The one-year fellowship program is available to postgraduate surgeons who have completed an orthopedic residency. The fellowship provides the recipient the opportunity to pursue advanced study, in-depth training, management and research in sports medicine, musculoskeletal, and complex injuries. The fellowship accommodates one fellow and begins on August 1

Learn more on our Fellowship & Graduate programs page

Basketball Research at Scottish Rite for Children Revealing New Trends in Basketball Injury Prevention

Basketball Research at Scottish Rite for Children Revealing New Trends in Basketball Injury Prevention

by | Feb 1, 2023 | Sports Medicine

Our Sports Medicine research team is collecting data to learn more about injury prevention in young basketball players. As part of the SAFE program at Scottish Rite for Children, young athletes perform various tasks, including a movement screen and assessments of speed, agility and strength. Additionally, athletes complete surveys specific to their sport participation and injury history. As the research team tests more athletes, the information collected will provide evidence-based guidance for developing injury prevention programs specific for the youth athlete. The ability to identify movement patterns or behaviors that may increase the risk of sustaining a sport-related injury is imperative. Studies have shown that sports injuries can often lead to the athlete discontinuing their sport participation, negatively impacting their overall health and wellness. Therefore, this research is helping to develop more advanced screening tools to mitigate those risks, which is instrumental for keeping athletes healthy and out on the court.

Watch the MavsMan try out the SAFE testing activities.

In partnership with the Mavs Academy, our team has tested hundreds of basketball players throughout the past two years at events, such as the Mavs Youth Combine, Mavs Academy Development Camp and the Mavs SAFE Tip-Off. Coaches, athletes and parents expressed that they learned valuable information from the experience as well as asking how they can connect other athletes to the opportunity. The shared desire to make an impact on injury prevention is obvious in these conversations.

“The work that is being done by Scottish Rite has the potential to impact athletes now and well into their futures. We are excited to partner with them in making youth basketball safer.”

Brad Freeman
Senior Director
Mavs Academy & Mavs Gaming
Dallas Mavericks

 

Early results from this work are already pointing to a few messages your young athlete may want to know. Here are preliminary findings from a subset of this data that included 105 participants with an average age of 13 years.

  • 66% of athletes have limited ankle motion
  • 20% of athletes reported a prior knee injury
  • 39% of athletes reported a sport-related injury within the past 12 months

 

  • Stronger athletes jumped higher with more power and strength on a single-leg vertical jump. Athletes with more overall strength may perform better during single-leg basketball movements.
  • Faster athletes exhibited better coordination leading to improved performance on the triple hop for distance. Speed deficiencies may hinder single-leg hop performance.
  • Athletes with a prior knee injury exhibited greater single-leg vertical jump height asymmetry and larger side-to-side power deficits, which is an indicator of future injury risk. To avoid injury, it is important to land from a jump with proper technique and symmetry between limbs.
  • Limb symmetry observed in jump distance metrics were not reflected in jump height symmetry. Given basketball involves single-leg jumps, an assessment of injury risk via limb asymmetry may be more informative using a hop for height and not a hop for distance.
  • Limited ankle flexion was found to influence single-leg hop height (but not hop distance). Achieving adequate jump height is important for basketball-specific movements. For safer and more efficient running and jumping, ankle flexion should be at least 40 degrees. A lower number can indicate tightness in the calf muscle that may improve with stretching.

“The results from a complex data set like this may sound confusing to parents and coaches, however, through this research initiative we are already discovering trends that allow us to take action in community education.”

Ashley Erdman, B.S., M.B.A.
Lead Biomechanist
Movement Science Lab, Frisco

 

Scottish Rite for Children is continuing to partner with the Mavs Academy to learn more about injury prevention. Participants will be invited to participate in on-site testing when it is offered, but testing is also conducted at Scottish Rite for Children.

If you are interested in participating in this project individually or as a team, please email [email protected].

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: How It Helps Your Child

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: How It Helps Your Child

by | Jan 30, 2023 | Sports Medicine

Sports medicine physician Jacob C. Jones, M.D., RMSK, is a musculoskeletal ultrasound expert with advanced training in using ultrasound to evaluate and treat sport-related injuries in children and teens. This commonly used technology uses sound waves to create pictures of the tissues inside the body. Our medical staff regularly partner with our Radiology team to use ultrasound to evaluate and treat sports conditions, and now, Jones will bring that technology and care into the clinic for wider use and immediate accessibility.

After completing a full year of a sports medicine fellowship, Jones spent another year honing his skills in musculoskeletal ultrasound. With a real-time view of the bones and soft tissues, he can provide additional information without exposure to radiation, as with X-rays. In addition to providing images to help diagnose a condition, ultrasound can also be used to guide injections to make sure the medicine goes right where it is needed.

Jones has special training and extensive experience using ultrasound to evaluate injured joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones. Because many sport-related injuries cause discomfort with certain movements, the images are more helpful in diagnosing some conditions than X-rays. He is able to provide results immediately to patients and their families. Occasionally, further consultation with a Scottish Rite pediatric radiologist or additional imaging may be appropriate.

Conditions are Commonly Diagnosed with Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Children and Young Athletes

  • Ligament sprains
  • Tendon injuries
  • Bursitis
  • Presence of foreign objects
  • Muscle strains
  • Trapped nerves
  • Some fractures

Learn more about pediatric sports medicine.

Moment of Impact: Keeping Young Athletes SAFE

Moment of Impact: Keeping Young Athletes SAFE

by | Nov 28, 2022 | Sports Medicine

Article previously published in Rite Up, 2022 – Issue 3.

What if you could prevent a sports injury before it happens? That is exactly what the experts in the Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine at Scottish Rite for Children aim to achieve. Led by Sophia Ulman, Ph.D., the SAFE (Sports-specific Assessment and Functional Evaluation) program uses 3D motion capture technology — the same technology used to create special effects in movies and video games — to assess injury risk by studying the movements of young athletes.

The goal of the SAFE program is to develop injury prevention tools that will reduce sport-related injuries in young athletes here and beyond, creating a new standard of care. “Current injury prevention methods are falling short, as sports injuries in young athletes are skyrocketing,” Ulman says. “We are the first to use machine learning techniques to assess a young athlete’s risk for injury by considering risk factors such as movement characteristics, demographics, sports participation characteristics, psychological measures, nutrition, and sleep patterns.”

Uninjured athletes are invited to the Scottish Rite’s Movement Science Laboratory, where they are fitted with reflective markers. The markers are used to collect the athlete’s movement patterns to evaluate their mobility, speed, agility, and power in 3D. Participants are asked to jump, squat, run, pivot, and perform sport specific movements like penalty kicks, layups, or back handsprings. “The data is analyzed to learn more about how young athletes move and to determine if certain movement patterns lead to future sports injuries that would require treatment,” Ulman says.

The SAFE program has tested the movements of approximately 340 athletes across sports, such as baseball, basketball, gymnastics, softball, track, and more. “After initial testing, we follow athletes for one year and note if any athlete experiences an injury,” Ulman says. “This data is helping us compare the movements of athletes who remained healthy versus athletes who were subsequently injured to determine what may have led to the injury.”

Researchers at Scottish Rite have already identified findings that might help predict injury risk in young athletes. “We have found that current tools for assessing injuries of the knee may be unreliable in some instances,” Ulman says. “Current methods commonly rely on 2D video to assess injury risk, but our research using 3D modeling is identifying potential risk factors that the 2D assessment cannot.” Through this innovative program, Scottish Rite researchers collaborate with medical professionals and sports medicine experts across the field to advance the treatment of young athletes throughout the country.

The SAFE program is poised to change the way health care professionals assess athletes for injury risk and, best of all, will help keep young athletes in the game.

To learn more about Movement Science, please call 469-515-7160 or email [email protected].

Read the full issue.